Operating mechanism for mechanical lighters



Jan 7 1964 .Filed Oct. 24, 1960 J- A. GODDARD ETAL OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL LIGHTERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan; 7, 1964 J. A. GODDARD ETAL 3,

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL LIGHTERS Filed Oct. 24, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,116,622 OPERATING MECHANlSll/l FQR MEQHANICAL LIGHTERS John Ansell Goddard, Cohham, and John 0:1, Dorking,

England, assignors to Benson Corporation, W oodbridge, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 24, 1'96-9, Ser. No. 64,424 Claims priority, application Great Britain Oct. 28, 1959 3 Claims. (6!. 67-7.1)

The present invention relates to operating mechanism for mechanical lighters, such as used by smokers, of the kind comprising a spring-biased operating lever mounted [for pivotal movement and provided with means \for effecting operation of the igniting mechanism.

In operating. mechanism oi the kind referred to, the operating lever is usually mounted at or towards one end for pivotal movement, and the means for effecting operation of the igniting mechanism are located adjacent the other end of the lever, the pivotal mounting being clearly visible in the assembly and the construction being such that assembly and replacement of the operating lever is a somewhat difficult and time-consuming, and therefore costly, operation.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide improved operating mec anism of the kind referred to which is of improved appearance in that the pivotal mounting is not visible in the assembly, which provides an effective action, and which is easy to assemble.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved operating mechanism of the kind referred to which is particularly, though not exclusively, suitable for smokers lighters having a generally elongated cylindrical form, that is to say to smokers lighters intended rriainly for use by ladies and having a form somewhat similar to a ladys lipstick case.

According to the present invention there is provided an operating mechanism, [for a mechanical lighter, comprising an operative lever arranged toeffect actuation of igniting mechanism of the lighter, a fulcrum member, a bearing member arranged to provide a seat for the fulcrum member, said members being arranged so that one is carried by the operating lever and the other is mounted on the lighter body, a pivotal member interposed between the lighter body and the operating lever, and spring means for urging the pivotal member into such a position as to retain the operating lever in an inoperative position from which the lever can be moved against the action of the spring means to actuate the igniting mechanism.

Further according to the present invention there is provided an operating mechanism, for a mechanical lighter, comprising an operating lever arranged to cheat actuation of igniting mechanism of the lighter, or fulcrum mernlber, a bearing member arranged to provide a seat for the fulcrum member, said members being arranged so that one is carried by the operating lever and the other is mounted on the lighter body, a pivotal member interposed between the lighter body and the operating lever and arranged so that a small angle exists at the point of contact between the lever and the pivotal member between the perpendicular to the lever and a line which passes through the pivotal axis of the pivotal member, and spring means for urging the pivotal member into such a position as to retain the operating lever in an inoperative position from which the lever can be moved against the action of the spring means to actuate the igniting mechanism, the angling of the pivotal member providing an initial resistance to movement which decreases substantially on further movement of the lever.

Furthermore according to the present invention there is provided an operating mechanism, for a mechanical lighter, comprising an operating lever arranged to elfect ice actuation of igniting mechanism of the lighter and formed of general channel section to have a base and two side walls, a fulcrum pin extending between and secured to the side walls of the operating lever, a bearing member arranged on the lighter body to provide a seating for the (fulcrum pin, a bracket arranged to engage the lighter body and at one end to engage the fulcrum pin, a pivotal member pivotally mounted at one end on the other end of said bracket, and a spring connected to the other end of the pivotal member to urge the pivotal member into such a position as to retain the operating lever in an inoperative position from which the lever can be moved against the action of the spring to actuate the igniting mechanism.

The invention also provides a mechanical lighter provided with an operating mechanism as hereinbefore defined.

In one constructional form, the operating lever carries adjacent one end toothed racks or segments arranged for cooperation with mating toothed pinions rotatably mounted on a shaft suitably supported on the lighter body and carrying a friction wheel which forms part of the igniting mechanism. Adjacent its other end the operating lever is shaped to receive the thumb or finger of an operator and between its ends the operating lever carries a pivot pin which co-operates with a seat provided on a bracket formed on or attached to the lighter body.

Embodiments oi the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a largely sectional elevation showing one form of mechanical lighter having an operating mechanism according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a detail elevation of an action bracket and a roller bracket of the mechanism shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in the direction of arrow III of FIGURE 2; and,

FIGURE 4 is a partly sectional elevation showing another form of mechanical ligh er having an operating mechanism according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the operating mechanism of the lighter inch-dos an operating lever ll) pivotally supported between its ends, by means of a fulcrum or pivot pin 11, on the body 12 of the lighter. The lower end 13 of the lever id is shaped to receive the thumb or finger of an operator, and the upper end of the lever is provided with toothed racks or segments 14 arranged for co-operation with mating toothed pinions 15. The pinions 15 are mounted on a shaft 16 which is supported on the lighter body and carries a friction wheel 17 and clutch plate (not shown) which form part of the mechanism of the igniting system of the lighter. This system includes a burner valve 18, a gas reservoir 19 and an inlet valve 2t), of known type. Numeral 21 denotes a tube from which a flint or the like is urged into contact with the friction wheel 17, and 22 denotes a smaller cap.

The lighter body is recessed in the region where it cooperates with the operating lever it which is of general channel or U-section to have a base and two side walls. A bracket 23, w ich is slotted to provide a seat or bearing for the pin id, is secured, as by soldering, in the recess. An action bracket 24 is located in the recess and is also slotted, at 2.5, to provide a bearing for the pin 11 which is sandwiched between the two brackets. The action bracket is of general channel section, as can be seen from FIGURES 2 and 3, and has a short base 26 arranged to abut against the base of the body recess. A roller bracket 27 of general channel section is pivotally connected at one end to the lower end of the bracket 24 and a double-diameter roller 28 is rotatably mounted at the other end of bracket 27 to engage the inner surface of the operating lever it A helical tension spring 29 extends between the pivot pin 11 and the spindle of the roller 23, the arrangement being such that the roller bracket 27 is normally retained by the spring in such a position that the operating lever is held in an inoperative position from which it can be moved clockwise about its pivotal axis, i.e., pin 11, to actuate the igniting mechanism. The bracket 24 is provided with abutments so which cO-Operate with base 31 of bracket 27 to prevent anti-cloclnvise movement of the roller bracket beyond a predetermined point.

During movement of the operating lever to actuate the igniting mechanism, the roller bracket 27 is moved clockwise about its pivotal axis 32 at its connection with the action bracket 24, against the action of spring 2%, and when released the spring causes anti-clockwise pivotal movement of the roller bracket and return of the lever it? to its normal position ready for further operation.

it will be noted that the bracket 27 is arranged so that a small angle exists at the point of engagement between lever 1i and roller 28 between the perpendicular b to the lever 16 and a line c which passes through the pivotal axis 32 of the bracket 27. This arrangement of the bracket 27 provides an initial resistance to movement which decreases substantially on further movement or" the lever, and thus imparts a snap action to the operation of the mechanism; the snap action promotes accelerated rotation of the friction whe l 17 to produce a satisfactory stream of sparks. It has been found most satisfactory to have the angle :2 approximately degrees but it will be understood that this angle may be increased or decreased by a few degrees depending on the nature and configuration of the lighter parts. In the absence of a roller (28) the lines 11 and c will pass through the point of contact between the lever and the end of the bracket 27.

The construction described greatly facilitates the assembly of the parts of the lighter since the action and roller brackets may first be assembled together with their co-operating spring 29 on the operating lever 1t], and this sub-assembly may then be assembled on the lighter body merely by engaging the pivot pin 11 on the operating lever with the bracket 23 provided for it on the lighter body and the toothed racks 14 with the mating toothed pinions 15 provided on the lighter body. Furthermore, by making the base 26 of the action bracket of appropriately restricted length, the presence of any excess solder adjacent the bracket 23 will not interfere with accurate assembly of the action bracket in the recess provided therefor in the lighter body.

It will be appreciated that the pivot pin 11 extends between the walls of the lever 10 so that the pivotal mounting of the lever is not visible in the assembled mechanism.

In the alter-native embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 4, an operating lever 110 of general channel section is pivotally supported at one end by means of a fulcrum or pivot pin 111 on the body 112 of the lighter. The other end 113 of the lever is formed with toothed racks 114 arranged for co-operation with mating toothed pinions H5. The pinions 115 are mounted on a shaft H6 which is supported on the lighter body and carries a friction wheel 117 and clutch plate (not shown) which form part of the mechanism of the igniting system. Numeral 122 denotes a snulrer cap.

A bracket 123 which is slotted to provide a seat or hearing for the pin Jill is secured, as by soldering, to the lighter body and an action bracket 124, located on the lighter body, is also slotted to provide a bearing for the pin 111 which is sandwiched between the two brackets. The action bracket 124 is of general channel section and has a short base 126 arranged to abut against the top surface of the lighter body. A roller bracket 127, of general channel section, is pivotally connected at its lower end to one end of bracket 124 and a double diameter roller 128 is rotatably mounted at the up er end of bracket 12.7 to engage the inner surface of the operating lever 11%.

A helical tension spring 129 extends between the spindle of roller E23 and the pivot pin lit to hold the operating lever in an inoperative position from which it can be moved anti-clockwise about pin all, by means of thumb or finger pressure on part 113, to actuate the igniting mechanism. Bracket 32.4 is provided with abutments 139 which co-operate with base 131 of roller bracket 127 to prevent clockwise movement of the roller bracket beyond a predetermined point.

The assem ly and operation of the operating mechanism shown in FIGURE 4 are similar to those of the operating mechanism shown in FXGURES l to 3.

We claim:

1. An operating mechanism for a mechanical lighter comprisin a lighter body element having mounted thereon a spark igniting mechanism, a first bracket means attached to said lighter body element and constructed to receive a fulcrum pin, an operating lever element, a fulcrum pin engaged in said operating lever element and engaged in said first bracket means to permit a given region on said operating lever element to move with rotation of said lever element from a first position away from said body to a second position nearer said body element, said operating lever element being arranged and connected to actuate said spark igniting mechanism upon movement of said given region from its first to its second positions, said given region being smooth and substantially fiat and extending generally transversely to its direction of movement, an elongated second bracket constructed and arranged to abut up against said lighter body element and having one end constructed to receive said fulcrum pin, an elongated pivotal member pivotally connected at one end to the other end of said second bracket and slideably contacting said given region of said operating lever element at its other end, a tension spring connected between said other end of said elongated pivotal member and a point near said one end of said elongated second bracket, said pivotal member being of a length such that in the first position of said given region of said operative lever element it is slightly offset relative to a perpendicular from said given region in a direction such that movement of said given region produces movement of said other end of said pivotal member away from said fulcrum pin, and means associated with said elongated second bracket for limiting movement of said pivotal member toward said fulcrum pin from a position corresponding to said first position of said operating lever element.

2. An operating mechanism for a mechanical lighter comprising a lighter body element having mounted thereon a spark igniting mechanism, a first bracket means attached to said lighter body element and constructed to receive a fulcrum pin, an operating lever element, a fulcrum pin engaged in said operating lever element and engaged in said first bracket means to permit a given region on said operating lever element to move with rotation of said lever element from a first position away from said body to a second position near said body element, said operating lever element being arranged and connected to actuate said spark igniting mechanism upon movement of said given region from its first to its second position, said given region being smooth and substantially fiat and extending generally transversely to its direction of movement, an elongated second bracket means constructed and arranged to abut up against said lighter body element and having one end constructed to receive said fulcrum pin, an elongated pivotal member pivotally connected at one end to the other end of said elongated second bracket means and slidably contacting said given region of said operating lever element at its other end, a tension spring connected between said other end of said elongated pivotal member and said fulcrum pin, said pivotal member being of a length such that in the first position of said given region of said operative lever element it is slightly offset relative to a perpendicular from said given region in a direction such that movement of said given region produces movement of said other end of said pivotal member away from said fulcrum pin, said elongated second bracket having an abutment portion which traverses the plane of rotation of a base portion of said pivotal member, said abutment portion being located between said base portion and said other end of 10 2736181 said elongated second bracket and contacting said pivotal member in its slightly offset position.

3. The operating mechanism described in claim 2 wherein said pivotal member is generally channel shaped and straddles said other end of said elongated second 15 bracket and said abutment portion of said elongated secend bracket being constituted as an extended portion of said elongated second bracket in the vicinity of its connection to said pivotal member, to contact the base of said pivotal member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,594,631 'Fortin Apr. 29, 1952 Seibert et a1 Feb. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 137,229 Australia May 15, 1950 731,788 France May 31, 1932 787,640 Great Britain Dec. 11, 1957 946,750 Germany Aug. 2, 1956 

1. AN OPERATING MECHANISM FOR A MECHANICAL LIGHTER COMPRISING A LIGHTER BODY ELEMENT HAVING MOUNTED THEREON A SPARK IGNITING MECHANISM, A FIRST BRACKET MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID LIGHTER BODY ELEMENT AND CONSTRUCTED TO RECEIVE A FULCRUM PIN, AN OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT, A FULCRUM PIN ENGAGED IN SAID OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT AND ENGAGED IN SAID FIRST BRACKET MEANS TO PERMIT A GIVEN REGION ON SAID OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT TO MOVE WITH ROTATION OF SAID LEVER ELEMENT FROM A FIRST POSITION AWAY FROM SAID BODY TO A SECOND POSITION NEARER SAID BODY ELEMENT, SAID OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT BEING ARRANGED AND CONNECTED TO ACTUATE SAID SPARK IGNITING MECHANISM UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID GIVEN REGION FROM ITS FIRST TO ITS SECOND POSITIONS, SAID GIVEN REGION BEING SMOOTH AND SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND EXTENDING GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY TO ITS DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, AN ELONGATED SECOND BRACKET CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ABUT UP AGAINST SAID LIGHTER BODY ELEMENT AND HAVING ONE END CONSTRUCTED TO RECEIVE SAID FULCRUM PIN, AN ELONGATED PIVOTAL MEMEBER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BRACKET AND SLIDEABLY CONTACTING SAID GIVEN REGION OF SAID OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT AT ITS OTHER END, A TENSION SPRING CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED PIVOTAL MEMBER AND A POINT NEAR SAID ONE END OF SAID ELONGATED SECOND BRACKET, SAID PIVOTAL MEMBER BEING OF A LENGTH SUCH THAT IN THE FIRST POSITION OF SAID GIVEN REGION OF SAID OPERATIVE LEVER ELEMENT IT IS SLIGHTLY OFFSET RELATIVE TO A PERPENDICULAR FROM SAID GIVEN REGION PRODUCES MOVEMENT THAT MOVEMENT OF SAID GIVEN REGION PRODUCES MOVEMENT OF SAID OTHER END OF SAID PIVOTAL MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID FULCRUM PIN, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ELONGATED SECOND BRACKET FOR LIMITING MOVEMENT OF SAID PIVOTAL MEMBER TOWARD SAID FULCRUM PIN FROM A POSITION CORRESPONDING TO SAID FIRST POSITION OF SAID OPERATING LEVER ELEMENT. 